New Albany and Gahanna residents who haven't re-registered for emergency alerts after this year's system switch may have missed critical notifications during Tuesday's storm. Both New Albany and Plain Township transitioned from CodeRED to Everbridge earlier in 2026, and anyone who had CodeRED must sign up again to receive current warnings.
That gap matters because Franklin County's outdoor warning sirens never sounded on Aug. 11, even as wind gusts reached 82 mph at John Glenn International Airport and more than 100,000 customers lost power across central Ohio.
The reason is straightforward. No tornado warning was issued.
Franklin County Emergency Management & Homeland Security (FCEM&HS), which operates the county's siren system, activates it only when the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning for Franklin County, NBC4 reported. A severe thunderstorm watch, a flash flood warning or any other alert does not trigger the sirens.
On Aug. 11, the NWS placed Franklin County under a severe thunderstorm watch and flash flood warnings for most of the day but never issued a tornado watch or warning. The agency said there were not enough factors on radar to signal a tornado might occur, even as surrounding counties received tornado watches. Madison County got one when radar indicated rotation.
The NWS now suspects a tornado may have passed through Dublin and moved toward Ohio State University around 10:30 a.m. Aug. 11, according to the Columbus Dispatch. Meteorologists did not issue a warning at the time because radar signatures were not clear enough. A ground survey to confirm whether a tornado struck was expected as early as Aug. 12; results were not available at publication.
Gov. Mike DeWine declared a state of emergency after the storms, which killed at least one person in Muskingum County and left roughly 83,000 Franklin County customers without power, according to American Electric Power.
"We are in a very dangerous weather situation that really involves all of Ohio," DeWine said. "It's not something that's going to end tonight."
What residents should do when sirens don't sound
FCEM&HS maintains the sirens for one scenario only: a confirmed or imminent tornado. For every other severe weather event, the agency urges residents to sign up for direct alerts through ALERT Franklin County, which pushes notifications by phone call, text and email.
Franklin County Emergency Management posted a flash flood warning on its X account on Aug. 11, reminding residents to turn around and not drive through flooded roads. But the agency itself cautions against relying on social media as a primary alert source due to possible delays.
How to sign up
Residents can register for ALERT Franklin County at alertfranklincounty.org. For basic alerts that don't require an account, text FCREADY to 888777.
New Albany announced its switch to Everbridge in May. Plain Township made the transition in March. As we reported Monday, the storms cut power to thousands of local households.
FCEM&HS tests its sirens every Wednesday at noon. If residents hear sirens outside that weekly test, a tornado warning is in effect and they should seek shelter immediately.
